I'm boarding a plane for San Francisco. A long month is behind us, and a long week in front of me. Launch Solutions is teaching and presenting and supporting clients at a significant trade show in one of the industries we serve, Photonics West.

It's very clear, though, why we do what we do. We work with some amazing business leaders. Two of them are celebrating this week:

Sydor Optics celebrates their 50th anniversary

This company, in its third generation, has grown to be one of the most respected optical fabricators in the world. Jim Sydor's personal commitment and reputation are the key to their success. Congratulations to Jim and the team that works tirelessly to deliver for their customers. Thank you for the opportunity to work with so many exceptional people.

Lake Shore Cryotronics reveals new brand to reflect innovation in new research fields

Lake Shore, also a growing private company celebrating its 45th year, just rolled out a new brand to reflect its growing vision, branching out from its origins in low temperature measurement to support customers in emerging fields of research. We are honored to help the growth of this company. Their leadership has set a culture of innovation, customer focus and respect that make this team a joy to support.

Both of these CEOs have taken a successful family business and, instead of resting on legacy, have grown and expanded their presence to be global leaders. They've been fearless in setting their own direction, focusing on a specific niche, and above all, staying in tune with customer needs.

It's the success of technology companies and their exceptional leaders that make our work worthwhile.